(Images courtesy of TVW)
A plan to reduce sales of tobacco and vaping products to young people is now making the rounds at the State Capitol.
The sponsor of Senate Bill 5365 says the idea is to go after retailers, who sell cigarettes and vaping products to minors with much higher fines, but it would also remove law enforcement’s power to stop kids under 18, write them a ticket and take those products from them.
Pediatrician, Doctor Crystal Shen, says she counseled one boy she says was distressed after he was found near a vape pen he says wasn’t his. “Due to the suspicion over being near vape equipment,” Dr. Shen says, “he had gotten into trouble, and his other peers were not punished, and he still was quite scared and troubled after that encounter.”
Taylor Gardner with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs says it would actually take away a good public health tool. Gardner says, “I’ve been made aware of various instances from our members, where officers had actually used these to have positive interactions. They’re opportunities to underscore the dangers for the youth, and they don’t often issue the infraction.”
Other supporters say communities of color are often the target of both police and “big tobacco” marketing and that this could help reduce the effects. The Washington State Public Health Association says kids are victims of the major tobacco companies, and he says education, cessation programs and holding retailers accountable are more effective
The State Liquor and Cannabis Board also raised concerns it would take away a key method for them to hold retailers accountable.
You can watch the entire hearing on TVW here.